Davenport: An Open Letter to the Oklahoma Legislature

By Rose State Political Science Professor James Davenport

Dear Republican and Democrat Members of the Oklahoma Legislature:

It’s time to admit failure. It’s clear you are unable to meet the required threshold of seventy-five percent to increase any tax. You have attempted to do so multiple times over the past year, and have failed – miserably. It’s time to admit your current make-up in the legislature will continue to prevent you from achieving this requirement.

Instead of making empty promises regarding teacher pay raises, increased funding for health and human services, or better roads and bridges, you need to acknowledge your inability to do your jobs. Confession, they say, is good for the soul.

Admitting failure doesn’t mean doing nothing. As the legislature, you are empowered to place items on the ballot for voter approval. It’s time to do so and see if the people can resolve these problems directly. I would propose three groups of referendum items for the people’s consideration.

Education Reforms

  • Provide funding that would equal a six thousand dollar pay raise for teachers over three years
  • Set a per pupil funding minimum for common education in Oklahoma
  • Push all decisions regarding matters of compensation, curriculum and textbook adoption to local school districts
  • Disband the State Textbook Adoption Committee
  • Establish education savings accounts and allow parents to direct payment to the educational option of their choice
  • Consolidate school district administrations

Revenue Reforms

  • Six-cent increase in the state’s fuel tax
  • Eliminate the state income tax
  • Apply the state sales tax to services
  • Exempt groceries, child care, and utilities from the state income tax
  • Eliminate corporate taxes and institute a 3% VAT
  • Replace the Gross Production Tax with an extraction fee that is consistent across industries

Government Reforms

  • Reform term limits law to sixteen years and to count service in the House and Senate separately
  • Consolidate statewide boards and commissions
  • Create a mechanism for direct citizen input on budgeting decisions
  • Make all state-wide elected positions, except the Auditor & Inspector and Attorney General, appointed positions
  • Establish a budget stabilization fund

If these reforms seem too much for voters to consider on one ballot, space each group of reforms on separate ballots over the next twelve to eighteen months.

Admittedly, this will do nothing to solve the crisis in the short term. More than likely you’ll have to piecemeal another budget together for the next fiscal year. But it will give voters hope that they can accomplish what you have failed to do.

Another option would be to fulfill your constitutional requirement of placing a constitutional convention on the ballot for Oklahoma voters to approve. This would allow more a more thoughtful approach to addressing the state’s pressing issues governance and revenue issues.

Either way, it’s up to you, members of the Oklahoma Legislature, to admit your failure and turn the reins over to someone else. Perhaps voters, or delegates to a constitutional convention, can be more effective in creating long-term solutions to our problems.


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  1. Vernon Woods, 16 March, 2018

    ‘Eliminate the state income tax’
    and
    ‘Exempt groceries, child care, and utilities from the state income tax’.
    Just who and what is this guy??

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